Stronger Than The Tide PJOHOO
by barryfangirl
Summary: After defeating Gaea in the second giant war, Perseus Jackson goes missing. He returns 3 months later. The campers notice he's different, he's always silent, never talking, never showing emotion, and his eyes linger with such horror and pain. Meet the new Percy Jackson. Then one day, the 7 and Nico connect the dots. And those dots draw out an ugly picture.
1. Victory And Loss

Victory And Loss {Chapter One}

Annabeth's POV  
( _Flashback)_  
 _I stood in the smoky ruins of the battlefield. "We-we did it." I whispered. The full realization of what we accomplished hit me. "Whoooo Hooo!" I shouted. A couple of Demi-Gods looked my way. The cheering spread. "Yeah! We did it! I can't believe it!" People shouted, rejoicing. I start to run around, looking for the rest of the 7. I find them standing in a group, talking in hushed voiced. I run over and yell "Guys! We did-" I falter as I notice a person missing from the group. Seaweed Brain. "W-where's Percy?" I ask. No one responds. "T-this isn't funny! Where is he!?" I cry, tears welling in my eyes. Frank steps forward, opening his mouth to speak. I cut him off. "Is he... D-dead?" I whisper. Nico answers, "No, I can feel his life force. He's still alive. He's just... Missing." He says carefully. I start to sob. "Where are you Seaweed Brain?"_  
 _(End Flashback.)_  
That was 3 months ago. Percy is still missing, he seems to have disappeared off of the face of the Earth. "Annabeth!" Piper calls out, snapping me out of my thoughts. "What?" I ask. "Hazel asked you a question." Jason responds. I feel my face grow red. "Sorry, can you repeat the question?" I ask. Hazel nods. "The newest search party came back. I need to know if you want to hear the report." I nod, "Continue." Hazel takes a deep breath. "They've found nothing. I'm so sorry." She says, turning her gaze to the floor. "It's okay. Meeting adjourned." I call out, racing through the doors at first chance. " _Stay strong Annabeth."_ I think to myself, _"Percy would want you to stay strong."_ I wipe away a few tears. "I'm coming for you Seaweed Brain." I whisper as I head to dinner.

? POV

Pain. So much pain. I don't know how long I've been in this place, this place where all I ever feel is pain. Every kind of pain, unimaginable pain. I grit my teeth to keep from screaming. I have to stay strong. I have to stay strong for my Wise Girl.

Annabeth's POV

I couldn't sleep. Not while Percy was missing, not while I could be finding him. I sat up in bed and prayed to the Gods. " _Please help us find Percy. Help us find him and bring him home."_ I prayed. I got up and opened the door to my cabin. As silently as possible, I closed the door and walked to my favorite spot to think. Thalia's tree. When I got there, I was surprised to see Piper already nestled in the crook of the trunk. "Hey." I said as I sat down next to her. "Hey." She sighed. "What are you doing here?" I asked, a little confused. "Oh, I couldn't sleep. I have this feeling that something big is going to happen tonight, and that I should be here. Ever since the war, every time I look in Katoptris I see this tree in the dark." Piper said. I thought for a moment. "You think that it'll happen tonight? Whatever's going to happen?" I asked. Piper shrugged. "I guess." I nodded and leaned against the trunk. The Stars were beautiful, and they made me a little sad. I knew Percy was out there somewhere, hopefully in a good place. I felt tired, and just as I was about to close my eyes, I felt Piper tense. "What is it?" I asked, standing up, reaching for my dagger. "Can you hear that?" She whispered. I listened. Barking. Lots of it. Piper and I drew our weapons. I took out a flashlight. Piper gave me a weird look. "What? Never know when it might be useful." I said. Piper rolled her eyes. Nothing happened until I saw a bronze gleam in the beam of the flashlight. "Is that what I think it is?" She whispered. I heard the sound of whining, and golden dust exploded into the air. "Monsters! Hell Hounds!" I shouted. I heard yelling, and a figure came into view. It was a boy, and he was fighting off 3 Hell Hounds. I was prepared to go and help, but the boy killed them all in a matter of seconds. There was a sound of heavy breathing, and the figure collapsed. Piper and I took off, running towards the boy. "We have to get him inside the border!" I yell. Piper nods. When we get closer, I feel my heart stop. The boy was grasping an all to familiar sword. Riptide. "Percy!" I yelled.

Piper's POV

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. My breath caught in my chest as I realized she was right. I recognized that messy raven black hair anywhere. I heard Annabeth gasp as she took in the condition of Percy. It wasn't pretty. Percy had cuts everywhere on his arms, and bruises littered the skin in-between. Blood was coated on top of the injuries, and his left arm was bent at a strange angle. He looked like he'd been through Hell and back. " _I guess he has."_ I thought to myself. "Let's get him to Will!" I told Annabeth as more barking was heard. She nodded her head and carefully grabbed Percy's good arm. I grabbed his waist and together we pulled him off the ground. He was surprisingly light. To light. "He's so skinny." Annabeth said, her voice quivering. I realized she was right. I could feel all of Percy's bones. We quickly made it to Thalia's tree, and we passed into the border. I gave a sigh of relief. We made our way to the Big House, and into the Hospital. Will was asleep in a chair. "W-Will!" Annabeth said. Will stirred only to fall back to sleep. "WILL!" I yelled. Will started, and jumped out of the chair. "What is it! What-" he stopped as his eyes fell on Percy. "Oh my God." He said. "P-put him on the bed." He said as he rushed over to us. After observing his breathing and his bones and vitals, he told us that it would be a while to determine all of his injuries. "Which seems to be a lot." He said under his breath. "Come on Annabeth. Let's wake the others." I said.

 **(1056 words)**


	2. The New Percy Jackson

Annabeth's POV

Tears were streaming down my face. Percy had finally returned, but not in the way I wanted. " _He looks horrible."_ I thought to myself. He had so many injuries, and those were just the visible ones. I felt Piper lay a hand on my shoulder. "It'll be alright." She reassured. I nodded. "Yeah."

Piper's POV

Annabeth was a mess. I guess I would be a mess too, if Jason went missing only to show up with dozens of injuries. We reached the first cabin. "Do you want to, or should I?" I asked. Annabeth shook her head. "You." She whispered. I nodded. I knocked on the Zeus's cabin door. Jason opened it with blurry eyes. "Pipes?" He asked. I swallowed. "Percy's back." I said, and Jason immediately perked up. "Meet us outside the Big House. We're going to go round up the others." I told him. Jason briefly glanced at the crying Annabeth, but he didn't ask anything. He nodded. "Ok." I grabbed Annabeth and walked over to the Hades cabin. I knocked on the door and Nico answered. "Umm...Hello?" He asked, obviously confused. I took a deep breath. "Percy's back." I said, and Nico's face dropped into shock. "Can you and Hazel meet us in front of the Big House? We're going to go get the others." I said. "Y-yeah." Was all Nico managed before we walked away. The same thing went for the others. I stated that Percy was back, they were shocked, and we went on to the next one. "You ready?" I asked Annabeth after we talked to Leo. She nodded. We walked back to the Big House and found our friends waiting outside. "Thanks guys." I said. Annabeth spoke up. "H-he's not..." She tried to say, but faltered. "It's okay." I told her, "You should lead the way." Annabeth nodded and went inside, the rest of us following.

Annabeth's POV

I was the first one in the hospital. The rest of us filed in, and we were met by a busy Will. "He has 4 broken ribs, 1 broken arm, several fractures in his legs, a sprained shoulder, and..." Will began, eyes sliding down the list. "And a bunch of other injuries." He said before looking up. I felt the tears well in my eyes. "C-can we...?" I tried to ask. Will nodded, understanding what I was trying to say. "Would you like to see him?" Will asked. "Yeah." Piper said, followed by Jason and the others. Shock was written on their faces. "Wow." Leo said, "That's a lot of broken bones." Will motioned for us to follow, and the others gave an intake of breath when they saw Percy. "Oh no..." Hazel said, crying into Frank's shoulder. "How?" Jason asked. All eyes were locked into the bloody hero on the bed. Will grabbed my wrist and led me into the corner. "He's not looking good Annabeth. Based on the results, he's lost a lot of blood, and he hasn't eaten in about 2 weeks. There are so many cuts that I can't stitch them all up." Will whispered. I started to cry. "What happened to him!?" I cried. Will looked uncomfortable. "I don't know, but it wasn't good." I took a deep breath. "Pour some water on him. It'll heal him." I said. Will looked shocked. "Why didn't I think of that before?" He said as he rushed out of the room. I walked back to my friends. All eyes went to me. "I don't know." I said.

Percy's POV

Darkness. That was all I saw. She was probably watching me, waiting for me to wake up so she can start it all over again. Wait. Didn't I escape? _"Duh. Yeah."_ I thought to myself. But where was I? The last thing I could remember was fighting Hell Hounds... Outside of Camp Half-Blood! Maybe I did make it! " _If she didn't get to you first."_ That little voice said. I sighed. What were the chances. Even if I did make it, I'd be drawing them into danger. " _You don't even know if she's messing with your head again. Maybe she let you escape in your mind so she can make them kill you again."_ I thought. No! I- I made it! I'll get to see Wise Girl again! Annabeth! I felt myself starting to wake up. But not before I heard that voice, I heard _her. "_ **You won't escape me Jackson. And when I get you, you'll be sorry you're even breathing."** She said. "No!" I yelled before everything went white.

Annabeth's POV

Percy started to stir, taking the eyes off me. "Annabeth..." He mumbled. I rushed over to him, and held his hand. He started thrashing harder. "NO!" He yelled before bolting upright. "Whoah!" Leo said, jumping back. Percy was breathing hard, wildly looking around. Everyone came closer. When Percy realized where he was, he relaxed. A little. He looked around before settling his eyes on me. "A-Annabeth? Is that really you?" He whispered. "Yes, Seaweed Brain! It's me!" I yelled before hugging him. He lightly hugged me back. Piper smiled and sheathed her knife. Percy flinched when the metal slid into the sheath. Everyone noticed but didn't say anything. "Wait. Let me guess." Percy started, "You won't...kill me or anything right? I mean... You're not on a whole revenge-on-Jackson type thing." He asks, eyes rapidly evaluating our positions. There's a shocked silence in the room. "No way! Why would we KILL you?" Leo says, wildly waving his arms around. Percy visibly relaxes. "Just making sure." He mutters. I lightly squeeze his hand. "Will's getting some water. It might... Clean you up." I say. Percy turns to look at me, and I notice how broken his gaze is. There's not that-Usual spark. Instead there's pain and horror. He looks so broken. "I have a better idea." Percy says, as he heaves himself off the bed and into a standing position. He sways on his feet. "Whoah!" Jason says as he helps steady Percy. "I don't think you should be doing that." He says. Percy shakes him off. "I'm fine." Percy stumbles over to the door and makes his way to the lake. He stands on the edge of the dock. I'm a little worried. I mean, I know he's the son of Poseidon, but still. "Well, here goes nothing." Percy said as he fell forward into the lake. "Percy!" Hazel yelps. We all rush to the end of the dock. There's no Percy. "He'll be fine. He can breathe underwater, remember?" Nico said, staring at the water. "Yeah." I said, still worried. Minutes pass, and just when I'm about to jump into the lake myself, Percy pops back up to the surface. "It worked! Sort of." Percy said as he climbed back into the deck, perfectly dry. I looked at him. The blood was gone along with the bruises and cuts. I could see what he meant, scars still littered his body. Hazel breathed a sigh of relief. Even Frank looks a little bit better. "I-I think I'm going to go to sleep." Percy said. I nodded. The others dispersed, calling out "Good night." As they walked back to their respective cabins. It was just Percy and I. I ran up to him and gave him a kiss. He looked surprised before kissing me back. "I'm so glad you're back." I whispered. "Me too." He said. "I love you Wise Girl." Percy said. I smiled. "I love you to, Seaweed Brain." I whispered back. We walked together until we had to go our separate ways. "Good night." I told Percy. "Good night." Percy called back. I smiled, knowing that I could finally sleep.

Percy's POV

They can never know what happened in the time I was gone. Not even Annabeth. I sighed as I closed my cabin door, collapsing into my first real bed in months. _"I missed this place."_ I thought to myself. I got up and looked in the mirror. A pale, too skinny, mess of a boy stares back. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I could feel the shift of the mist, and twisted it to my needs. When I opened my eyes, the scars were gone. _"At least I learned to do that."_ I thought to myself. I sighed, knowing that there would be a torrent of questions tomorrow. I fell asleep knowing that I would avoid them.

Annabeth's POV

I awoke the next morning from the best sleep I've had in the last 3 months. I quickly got dressed and headed over to the Poseidon cabin, earning a few weird looks from several campers. I knocked on the door, and Percy answered. "Ready?" I asked. He nodded and stepped out of the cabin. He looked better, all of his scars were gone. "Hey, where did your scars-" I began, but Percy cut me off. "Later." He said, I nodded. We walked to breakfast, Percy was strangely silent. When we arrived at the pavilion, people began to stare at Percy. "He's back! I can't believe it! He looks different." People began to whisper. We headed towards the rest of the 7. "Hey guys." I said as I slid into my seat. "Hi." They replied together. Everyone got their food and jumped into conversation. I was talking with Piper when I realized that Percy had been staring at the same spot on the table for the last 15 minutes. "Percy?" I called, there was no response. I waved my hand in front of his face. "Percy!" I said. He jumped. "Hmm?" He said. "Are you okay?" I asked. "Umm.. Yeah." He responded. "You didn't eat anything." I said, pointing at his plate. "I'm Not hungry. I'm think I'm going to go to the arena." Percy replied, walking up to the fire and giving an offering to the gods. He then walked off. There was a silence. "Something's weird here." Leo said slowly. "Yeah, he was staring at the table for, like, 15 minutes." Piper said. "Percy didn't eat _anything_ either. That's definitely weird." Frank said. "Yeah." Hazel agreed. "I have a feeling he's not telling us something." I said, eyes trained on the spot where Percy walked off.

Percy's POV

The nightmare lingered in the back of my mind. Every night, _she_ would bring me back to that cell, where she would torture me again. And even though it was just a dream, I felt the pain. All of it. I didn't want to be asked questions, so I stayed silent. I didn't want to drag my friends into this mess, I didn't want them to get hurt because of me. **"That's a good little boy, Jackson. You shouldn't get your friends involved. Mother would be VERY disappointed if she has to kill... More witnesses."** Her voice sounded in my head. I jumped and drew Riptide. " _Where are you?"_ I thought. **"You can't kill what you can't see Jackson. Soon. Very soon."** She said. I shook my head. " _You're playing tricks on yourself."_ I thought. I knew I wasn't healed. I knew that I was broken, the mist covered up some of the... Marks. Let's just say, I'm never going to take my shirt off in public. "Percy!" Annabeth called. I turned to see her and Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, Leo, and Nico run into the arena. " _Must be first period."_ I thought to myself. "Hey." I said, looking down at Riptide. "It's first period." Annabeth said, "It's target practice." I closed my eyes. " _Time to blow off a little steam."_

Piper's POV

It was just the 8 of us in the arena. Most of the campers had the rock-wall first period. Percy walked into the arena, and stood in the middle. He lunged to the left. " _What is he DOING?"_ I thought to myself. A target popped up and Percy decapitated it in one swing. "How did he know there was going to be a target there?" I asked. No one had an answer. "I don't know." Annabeth said. Percy was like a whirlwind, destroying every target with deadly accuracy. I never knew he was this good. After he was done, he was breathing heavily. I walked up to him. "You're really good." I said. Percy shook his head. "I need to get back to where I was." He told me. "Or I'll never stand a chance." He said under his breath. "What?" I asked. "Nothing. Thanks Piper." He said as he walked away. I frowned. " _He seems to be avoiding us."_ I thought to myself. Jason walked up to Percy and said something. Percy shook his head. I sat down on the bench. " _When will things ever go back to normal?"_  
- _-_ -  
Percy's POV

I guess I was okay at fighting. I mean, I was definitely rusty. After destroying all of the targets, I was breathing heavily. " _Well, it's no wonder you're out of shape."_ I thought to myself. Piper walked up to me. "You're really good." She said. I shook my head, "I need to get back to where I was." I told her, "Or I'll never stand a chance." I walked away. _"You need to keep them away from you, you need to keep them safe."_ I thought to myself. **"Oh Jackson, I'm coming and there's no way to avoid it."** She said. I ignored her. "Hey Percy, I was wondering if you'd want to come hang out with us after dinner." Jason asked me. I shook my head. "Sorry but I have to come and practice. Right after dinner." I told him. _"Wow Percy, that sounded SO believable."_ I thought to myself. "Oh. Okay. Maybe a different time then." Jason said. I nodded. "Yeah." Jason smiled and I felt a wave of guilt wash through me. _"They'll never be able to spend time with you."_ I thought to myself , _"The closer they are, the more danger they'll be in. I need to KEEP THEM AWAY!"_ I walked out of the arena. **"You do realize I can hear your thoughts right?"** She said. _"You do realize that I don't care, right?"_ I shot back. The truth was, I did care. A lot.

Annabeth's POV

Percy never smiled. In the week he returned, he didn't crack one joke or smile once. It was like he was always sad, always hurting. He never came to any of the things we invited him to, in fact, he distanced himself from all of us. Even me. Percy flinched every time someone drew a weapon, and he didn't answer any of our questions. We were concerned. Very concerned. "I have an idea." I told all of my friends, "That might just help us get some answers."

Percy's POV

The nightmares were getting worse, more vivid. She even started to bring in my friends. I barely got any sleep, and when I did, I wish I hadn't. **"Poor, poor, Jackson."** She taunted, **"You're weak, and your friends will pay for it."** I sighed. She was always in my head. It bothered me a lot. She was always listening, always watching. And the worst thing was, I was starting to believe what she said. I shook my head. _"Get out of my head, you hag!"_ I yelled in my head. She only laughed. **"Soon, Perseus. Soon."**

 **(2557 words)**


	3. Scars

Percy's POV

I've been back at camp for a week and a half. Every day, my friends would ask me the same question, "Where were you in those 3 months?" And every day, I answered with a "Not important." I knew they were starting to suspect something, because they're always telling me how I don't smile anymore. _"Would you be able to smile after what I've went through?"_ I often wonder to myself. I've avoided all of my friends since day 1. Because I know she's coming, and I won't be able to stop her.

Annabeth's POV

Percy was breaking me. Every time he looked at me with his broken eyes, it tore me apart. So I came up with a plan. If he was avoiding us, we'd make him come near us. And today was the day.

Percy's POV

I groaned. _"Why? Why do you have to annoy me EVERY 5 SECONDS?!"_ I shouted in my head. She wouldn't shut up. **"You're starting to crack."** She said. I collapsed onto my bed and screamed into the sheets. "Stop! Just Get out of my head!" I yelled into the mattress. **"I'm always watching... I'll get out of your head when I can talk to you FACE TO FACE!"** She growled. I rolled my eyes. It was after dinner, and I was having an argument with...Her. I heard knocking on my door. "Whhaaatt?" I groaned. Annabeth opened the door. "Can I take you someplace? Please?" She asked, smiling. "I'm busy." I said quickly. "Doing what?" Annabeth asked sweetly. I couldn't tell her, _"Oh! I was just having an argument with the goddess in my head who tortured me for 3 months!"_ "Thinking." I said. Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Seaweed Brain, you never think." She answered with a smirk. I sighed. She got me there. "Please?" She asked. "No." I said. "Why?" She asked. "Because." I answered. "Whhyyyy?" She whined. "You're not going to leave me alone are you?" I asked her. She smiled, "Nope." "Fine." I grumbled. **"This will be fun."** She said. I shuddered. Annabeth noticed, and asked "What's wrong?" I shook my head, "Nothing." Annabeth looked suspicious. She wasn't buying it. "Come here." She ushered, "I'm going to blindfold you. It's a surprise." Annabeth said, holding up a bandana. "No. Please." I said, remembering the dark And how you couldn't see what was coming. I must've zoned out, because Annabeth snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Hello? Earth to Seaweed Brain?" She called. I snapped back to reality. "Hmm? Yeah?" I said. She grinned devilishly. "3...2...1..." She counted down. "Wait, wha-" I didn't get to finish, because Annabeth launched herself at me and tackled me to the ground. I struggled, but Annabeth had the advantage. She tied the blindfold on, and led me out of the cabin. "W-where are we going?" I asked. Annabeth simply replied with a "It's a surprise." I rolled my eyes underneath the bandana and let her pull me along. We walked for a good 10 minutes before slowing down. **"Hmm..."** She said. _"What now?"_ I asked her inside my head. She didn't answer. I started to get worried. "We're here." Annabeth said, untying my blindfold. **"I was just wondering how your friends would deal with a few** **sessions."** She said, laughing. I flinched. When she laughed, nothing good happened. Ever. The blindfold was pulled off and I opened my eyes. _"Crap."_ I thought to myself. All of the 7, (and Nico), were sitting around a campfire. "Hey." Jason said nervously. My vision began to flicker. _"Not now!"_ I thought frantically. **"You're friends will pay dearly Perseus Jackson. All because you were weak and ran away."** She laughed, and my friends suddenly turned into skeletons. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" I panicked, backing away. **"They will DIE all because of you, a slow and painful death!"** She cackled. "NO!" I shouted, "Don't hurt them! Please!" I yelled. My friends stood up, concerned. "Percy!" Piper shouted, "Calm down!" My vision returned to normal, and I realized what had just happened. "I-I can't do this." I whispered, as I turned away and ran. They would die, all of them. All because I was weak.

Piper's POV

Percy panicked. When Annabeth took off the blindfold, he froze. "No, no, no!" He said while backing away. "Don't hurt them! Please!" He shouted, his face twisted into a look of utter terror. "Percy!" I yelled, "Calm down!" Percy unfroze and whispered, "I-I can't do this." He turned and ran. There was a shocked silence before Annabeth ran after him.

Annabeth's POV

What just happened. I'd never seen Percy so afraid before, and the fact that he can see-or hear- something that we can't is frightening. I ran after Percy before realizing that I'd lost him. _"Dang!"_ I thought to myself. I ran to the Poseidon cabin, figuring that's where he must be. I paused at the door, and proceeded to knock. There was no response, so I opened the door. Percy was curled up in a ball, his face in his knees. I closed the door and gently sat down beside him. "Percy." I said gently, "What's going on?" Percy looked up and my heart shattered. His eyes were red and tears traced patterns on his cheeks. In all of the years I knew Percy, he had never cried once. No one has ever seen Percy cry. No one. "I'm cracking Annabeth, and I'm so close to shattering." He whispered. "P-Percy..." I said, too stunned for words. "You're going to die!" He choked out, "You're all going to die because I was too weak!" He was crying again. "What do you mean?" I asked carefully. "She's coming, Annie. She's coming and I won't be able to stop her." He whispered. "Who? Who's coming?" I asked frantically. Percy froze before standing up. "Get out of my head! Please!" He yelled angrily before collapsing onto the bed. "Percy! Percy, who are you talking to!?" I asked. "Help...please..." He pleaded. "I can't-" I began before Percy talked again. "I ran away, Annie. You have to stay away, you all have to stay away. She'll hurt you, she'll break you like she broke me. I couldn't live with myself if she took you, if she-If she locked you up and broke you. If she made you beg for death to come, just to end the pain. I can't take it Annie. She's always in my head, she haunts me in my sleep. I can't watch you die again. I can't watch her slaughter all of you in front of me. I just can't take it!" Percy said, breathing in sharp quick breaths. "What do you mean?" I asked, confused. Percy froze, and started to cry. He curled up in a ball, clutching his head. "Please...please don't hurt them..." He whimpered. I was calm. Well, I looked calm, but inside, I was full out panicking. Percy never cries. Never. And here he was, crying. For once, I didn't know what to do. "It's okay, Perce." I said calmly, reaching for him. He flinched under my touch, but I held it. After a few seconds, Percy went rigid. He sat up and wiped away the tears. I saw a mask settle across his face. "Thanks Annie." He said, standing up. "I'm going to go to the arena." He said, walking across the room and exiting the cabin. I couldn't move. _"What should I do?"_

Annabeth's POV

I decided to tell Nico and the 7 about Percy. I ran back to the Fire where they were all gathered. When I got there, only Leo remained. "Leo!" I shouted, "Where is everyone?" Leo jumped, I guess he didn't notice me. "They all thought it would be better to leave." He said. "Then why are you still here?" I asked, sitting down beside him. "I wanted to make tacos." He said, gesturing to the simmering meat. "Leo, it-it was-" I faltered. Leo looked at me concerned. "Is it about Percy?" He whispered. I nodded. "I need to tell the 7 and Nico." I said, "So I guess you're the first one." And I told him everything.

Annabeth's POV

I told Leo everything last night, and he was shocked. We agreed that we needed to tell the others, and only the others. I went to sleep, and I woke up a couple of minutes ago. "Oh Percy." I whispered, fixing my hair in the bathroom. I silently walked out of my cabin and into the light morning gloom. I stopped outside of Percy's cabin. _"I'm going to get some answers."_ I thought as I opened the door. All thoughts flew out of my head. Percy was thrashing around in his bed, tears streaming down his face. I ran towards him.

Percy's POV

 _I was in a dark room. I looked around and tried to stand up. There was a searing pain near my stomach, I looked down and my eyes widened. There was a dagger protruding out of my stomach. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to a standing position._ **"Ah, Perseus."** _She said_ , **"Back to play?"** _I shivered._ **"I have a surprise for you..."** _She said, disappearing through the door. She returned, dragging a girl by her honey blond locks. "Annabeth!" I screamed._ **"This is what happens to heroes, Perseus."** _She said, forcing Annabeth to her feet. Her wrists were bound, and her eyes were wide with horror. "Please!" I cried, struggling to move forwards. I couldn't, I was frozen._ **"This will be fun..."** _She said, pulling out a dagger coated in green liquid. "Gorgon's blood.." I whispered. "P-Percy..." Annabeth sobbed, "Help me, please. I-" she was cut off as the woman shoved the dagger into her heart, watching in pleasure as Annabeth started to convulse. "NNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!" I yelled, lunging forward, finally able to move. The woman laughed and disappeared into the shadows. "Annabeth..." I sobbed, cradling her limp body. Her beautiful grey eyes were cold and unseeing. "You promised! You promised you wouldn't leave! I couldn't protect you, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I sobbed into her shirt._ **"Get ready,"** _She said,_ **"It's your turn player one."** _My heart shattered into a million pieces as the room swirled together in a mass of black and heartbreak._

Annabeth's POV

"Percy!" I yelled, shaking his shoulders. "Wake up, wake up! Gods!" I yelled in frustration. "Annabeth." Percy muttered. "No, please!" He moaned. "NNNOOOOOOOOO!" Percy yelled, thrashing even harder. He started to cry. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Annabeth!" He yelled as he bolted upright. "Percy!" I yelped as his eyes wild with pain landed on me. "A-Annabeth? You're alive?" He asked, tears dripping onto the floor below. "Y-yes." I said, startled at the state of him. He pulled me into a hug and kissed me. "Oh thank the gods!" He said, burying his face in my hair. "Percy, what was that all about?" I asked, confused. Percy instantly sat up and wiped his tears away. "It was just a nightmare." He said, standing up and ushering me out of the cabin. "Look, I'll meet you at breakfast, okay?" He asked, looking me in the eyes. "But-" I began before he cut me off. "We'll talk later, okay?" He said, giving me his baby seal eyes. "Fine." I grumbled as he pushed me out of the cabin. I turned around to walk to breakfast before remembering what I came to ask Percy about in the first place. I turned around and opened the door. I opened my mouth to speak, but I stopped. Percy had his back to me, and there were no words for what I saw. Scars littered his back, some an angry red, others a pale white. There were burn marks and other marks that looked like they were caused by electrocution. But the thing that stood out the most were the three words carved into his flesh. " _Game over Hero."_ Tears filled my eyes and I gasped. Percy whirled around and fear filled his eyes. He ran towards me, panic clear on his face. His chest and stomach didn't look any better than his back did. Scars littered the front of him, especially around his stomach. "Percy-" I cried, shocked. "Annabeth, you weren't supposed to see." He said, pushing me out of the cabin. "Forget you saw anything. It's not- it's not important okay?" He asked, his voice shaking. I nodded stupidly, and stumbled backwards, Percy slammed the door shut. The distinct sound of him locking the door echoed in my head. _"What in the Hades happened to him?!"_ I thought as I turned and ran towards the pavilion.

Percy's POV

After Annabeth comforted me from the nightmare and left, I proceeded to take my shirt off and get dressed. _"Stay strong, stay strong, stay strong."_ I thought over and over. **"It's sad that the Savior of Olympus has to repeat 'stay strong' in his head after only a nightmare."** She said. _"It's more than a nightmare, and you know it."_ I snapped back. I heard a gasp and I whirled around. There stood Annabeth, hands over her mouth. _"Dang it!"_ I cursed in my head. "Annabeth, you weren't supposed to see." I mumbled, pushing her out the door. "Forget you saw anything. It's not-it's not important, okay?" I said, standing in the doorway. She nodded and stumbled away. I slammed the door and locked it. I leaned against it and slid down it until I sat on the floor. "This wasn't supposed to happen." I whispered, pulling myself into a ball. Things were about to get complicated.

Annabeth's POV

I ran. I ran, and ran. I ran right through the dining pavilion, frantically looking for the others. _"I-I need to-"_ I thought, stopping. What was I going to do? _"Figure that out later."_ I said, shaking my head. I looked around and caught Jason's gaze. I weaved through the maze of benches before reaching the table. "Annabeth!" Jason said, "What's wrong?" "Oh gods, oh gods!" I said frantically. "Wha?" Leo asked, confused. "It-it was...so many." I tried to speak, but the image of Percy's back flashed in my eyesight. Piper used her charmspeak. "Annabeth, what's wrong?" She said in a soothing voice. We were drawing attention, and people looked over in mild interest. "Let-Let's go someplace more private." I said, walking out of the pavilion and into the woods. I arrived at a clearing, the others right behind me. "Annabeth. Talk to us." Piper said, crossing her arms. Tears started to roll down my cheeks. "Percy, he-he..." I stopped. Leo met my gaze. "First," Leo began, "The Flamin' Hot Mcshizzle has something to ask." Leo looked around and pulled out a taco. "Anyone want leftover tacos?"

Annabeth's POV

Everyone except me turned and glared at Leo. "Right." Leo said, looking at the ground, "Not the right time." I was secretly thankful. Leo's attempt to lighten the mood gave me a chance to regain my composure. "Percy." I stopped, everyone's eyes sliding back to me. I looked at them and told them what I saw.

Percy's POV

I ran to the big house to find Chiron. "Chiron!" I called, slamming the door open. "Yes my boy?" He answered, looking up from the book in his arms. "What-what do you know of..." I trailed off, not wanting to say her name. I steeled myself. "What do you know of Ophelia?" I forced out. Chiron's face turned pale, and he ushered me into his office. "Percy, how do you know of Ophelia?" He asked, pacing concerned. "Doesn't matter." I said, turning my gaze to the ground. "She's coming." I whispered. Chiron froze. "What did you say my boy?" He asked, eyes widening. "She's coming. Ophelia's coming. Here. To Camp Half-Blood." I said, looking up at him. Chiron's face grew paler, if that was possible. "That-That's impossible! Ophelia hasn't been seen in millennia, she has no reason to re-awaken!" Chiron said, tail flicking nervously. "Gaea." I said, and Chiron's eyes sparked with understanding. "Gaea awoken Ophelia as a backup, in case her plan backfired." I started. "Which it did, thanks to you and the others." Chiron mumbled. I gave a weak smile. "Gaea gave Ophelia instructions to carry out in her absence." I told the old trainer. Chiron gave me a knowing gaze. "This is bad." Chiron said, stroking his beard. I swallowed. She had been strangely silent today, no constant nagging in my head like usual. "Chiron, what if I told you that Ophelia was listening to us in this very room?" I asked with caution. Chiron looked up a me with somber eyes. "Then I would say we are in deep, deep, trouble."

 **(2805 words)**


	4. Misty Nightmares

Annabeth's POV

No one moved. It was like time slowed down, and no one breathed for fear of breaking the silence like glass. "Oh-oh my gods!" Hazel said, clinging to Frank's arm. "Are-are you serious?" Jason whispered, Piper rooted on his arm. "Yes." I said, glancing at Leo's pale face. Nico leaned against the tree behind him. "This isn't good." He muttered. We all looked over to him. "Percy has words carved into his back, he was missing for 3 months, and he refuses to tell us what happened. When Annabeth saw the scars, he panicked. He's hiding something." Nico said, struggling to hide his worry. Jason. Nico. Can you come get Percy with me? He probably won't want to come." I asked, trailing off. _"Oh Percy,"_ I thought. "Sure." Jason said. I looked over to Nico, he nodded in response. I let out a sigh of relief. I'm not in this alone.

Percy's POV

I skipped breakfast. And lunch. Ophelia was silent, and it was bothering me. "She's usually threatening me and my friends." I muttered under my breath. I shook my head and walked out of the arena. Fighting always cleared my head. I was walking through the strawberry fields, and I stopped and just stood there, savoring the sweet sent. "I missed this place." I whispered to the breeze. I heard footsteps behind me, and I whirled around. There stood Annabeth, Nico, and Jason. _"Oh gods."_ I thought to myself, _"This isn't going to go well."_

Annabeth's POV

We found Percy in the strawberry fields, just standing there. He whirled around and grimaced. "Oh. Hi." He said, looking away. "Percy." I said, "Please come with us." I asked, stepping closer. "I can't." He said, stepping away. "Why not, bro?" Jason asked. Percy mumbled something. "What?" I asked. He just shook his head, "Nothing." I sighed. "Please?" I asked. Percy looked at me, his eyes dull. "No." He said. I sighed and looked at Nico. He nodded. He shadow-traveled behind Percy and grabbed his arm. Realization dawned on him and his eyes widened. "Crap! Please don-" Percy began before Nico shadow-traveled them away. I looked at the ground. "That was a cheap trick." I whispered. Jason looked away. "Yeah." He said, "It was."

Annabeth's POV

When Jason and I arrived at our spot in the woods, Percy and Nico were the only people missing. "Hey." Piper said from her spot on a fallen log, "Did it go okay?" She asked. I sighed. "We got him here." I answered. There was a brief silence before Nico melted out of the shadows with a mad looking Percy. "Ok." Percy growled, "I know you guys want answers, but this is a LITTLE extreme!" Everyone looked at the ground. He sighed. "Well, I guess I'm not getting out of this one." He said, looking around at us. I shook my head. "No, you're not." I said. He sighed. "What do you want?" He asked, eyes growing duller by the minute. "I-I want to know where all those scars came from." I said, looking at his arms, "And where they GO in the day-time. Percy shifted uncomfortably. He bent down and placed a leaf in his palm. "What are-" Leo began, stopping. Percy's face was tight with concentration. Before our very eyes, the leaf turned into a bracelet. The leaf kept shifting, changing forms every few seconds. Hazel went pale. "You-you're using the mist!" She gasped. Percy nodded. "B-but, you can't just _gain_ the ability to control the mist! You're either born with it, or-" Hazel stopped eyes wide with horror. "Or you gain it when chemicals react in your body," I finished. "Lethal chemicals." "Whoah, whoah, whoah. Let me get this straight. Percy can control the mist, but he got the ability when DEADLY chemicals reacted in your body. So, shouldn't you be dead!?" Leo asked, fiddling with spare parts. "What fun would that be?" Percy muttered. "What?" I asked, eyes narrowing. "Nothing. Can I leave now?" He asked, nervously tapping his feet. "No." Piper said. Percy was getting agitated. "Not until you show us your scars." She continued, "Without using the mist." Percy froze. "No way. Nuh-uh."He said, backing up slightly. "Why not?! We're not going to hurt you! We're your friends!" Jason said, obviously frustrated. "Percy," Piper began, her voice heavy with charmspeak. "Stop it." Percy said. "Please. Just-just don't charmspeak." Percy said, covering his ears. "Percy, Piper's not going to hurt you." I said. Percy gritted his teeth. "Every time someone charmspeaks, I end up getting stabbed." He said, tensing up. "WHAT!" I yelled. "Ok, no charmspeak." Piper said, pale in the face. "Answer this instead." Jason said, "Why are you avoiding us?" Percy hesitated before answering, "Because she'll kill you if I don't. She'll lock you away-" He trailed off, freezing. "Uh, Percy?" Leo asked, waving his hand in front of his face. "This has happened before." I said, "This happens whenever she talks to him."

Percy's POV  
I just wanted to leave. **"Hello, pet."** She said, making me freeze. _"What-where have you been?"_ I asked inside of my head. **"Aww, did you miss me?"** She cooed. _"No. But where did you go? You're usually threatening me at every available second."_ I sighed. **"Oh, I was just putting together a nice movie for your friends. You know, made out of your memories."** I could almost feel her smirking. _"You are NOT going to show that to them."_ I growled. She laughed. **"What are you going to do about it?"** She mocked, knowing you couldn't do a thing. _"Just go away."_ I said dully, _"I don't even care anymore."_ She paused. **"We both know that's a lie."**

Annabeth's POV

Before our very eyes, Percy's sea green eyes drained to a pale gray. "Y-you guys see that too, right?" Leo asked nervously. "Yeah." Nico said, sounding slightly worried. "Why are his eyes gray? Am I missing something?" Jason asked, confused. The gears in my mind were turning. Everything clicked. "Whenever she talks to him, his eyes drain of color. I'm suspecting something like magic." I said. "Leo, stop." Hazel sighed, looking at Leo, who was still waving his hand in front of Percy's face. "Who's talking to him?" Jason asked, sitting down on the log by Piper. I shook my head. "I don't know. He won't say." "Um," Leo said, "What did he mean by 'She'll kill you'?" He finished, winding up a homemade toy. "Again, he won't say." There were a few minutes of silence before Percy gasped, color flooding back into his eyes. "Percy?" I asked, grabbing his hand. He blinked once. Twice. "Ugh, stupid hag." He mumbled, shaking his head. Hazel froze for a second before asking, "Hey, does anyone else feel that overpowering veil of magic?" She said, standing up. No one moved until Percy nodded. "Yeah. It's been there since-" He stopped. "Never mind." I grabbed Percy's shoulders and turned him to face me. "Percy." I said, tone deathly serious, "Who. Is. In. Your. Head." I asked, staring into his eyes. "I can't say." He said, looking away. "Why not, it's not like-" Leo began, Percy cutting him off. "I'm forbidden to say it." He said, wiggling out of my grasp. "Can I go, please?" He asked, obviously not saying anymore. "Sure." I said, and he turned away and walked into the forest. I waited until he put some distance between us before running after him, and tackling him onto the ground. He froze with surprise, and I took the advantage. I grabbed his shirt and started to pull it up. I heard the pounding of footsteps behind me, and with surprising strength, Percy flung me off of him and stood up. He turned around to face me, an unfamiliar fire burning bright in his eyes. "Don't EVER do that again." He growled before stalking off, deep into the woods. I stood up slowly. I've never seen Percy so mad, and I had a theory why. "He's protecting us." I whispered. "Huh?" Leo said, fiddling with a screw. "The reason he won't say anything is because he's protecting us." I said, facing the others. "Let's ask him tomorrow." I said, looking at the sun setting in the west. They all nodded. "For Percy." I said, putting my hand in the middle. "For Percy." They chorused, hands stacking in top of one another. We were a team. And no one could change that.  
 **(1419 words)**


	5. Ophelia

Annabeth's POV

I had a dreamless sleep, which was rare for Demi-Gods. I sat up and stretched, the sunlight streaming through the curtains. I got ready and noticed that I was the first one up, which was unusual. Usually my fellow brothers and sisters would get up the same time as I would. I sighed and got ready. As I walked towards the door, I froze and raced back to my bunk. "That's-That's impossible!" I muttered, my clock read 1:00 in the afternoon. I flung the door open and instantly realized that NO ONE was up! I swiveled around, No Chiron, No cleaning Harpies, No campers. They were all asleep. "But Why am I awake?" I asked aloud. I ran forwards and saw Percy bolt out of the Poseidon cabin, hand on the hilt of Riptide. "Percy!" I yelled, his head snapping towards me. "Annabeth?!" He asked, confused. "Yeah, why are we awake?" I asked, walking towards him. "Grab a weapon. One **_very_** deadly weapon." He added, tightening his grip on Riptide. I asked no questions, fighting was one thing Percy knew like the back of his hand. I quickly grabbed my dagger and joined Percy outside. Leo, Jason, Frank, Piper, Hazel, and Nico were also awake, and all bore weapons closely guarding each other. "Percy." I began, "What are we up against?" I asked carefully. "We're up against- against a daughter of Gaea." He said slowly. I felt my jaw migrate towards the ground. "Wha-What?" Leo squeaked, nearly dropping his hammer. "But, why would a daughter or Gaea attack us?" I wondered aloud. "She's after me." Percy said, turning to look at the Camp Border. "She woke you guys up for effect." He finished, advancing towards the border. "Why Is she after YOU!?" I yelled, fearful for my Seaweed Brain. "I know you're there! Come out-" Percy shouted, as a bright light filled the air. We all shielded our eyes, as a god's true form would burn us to ashes. When we slowly peeled our eyes open, a lady wrapped in purple was floating in the air. **"Ah, there's my pet!"** She cooed, looking at Percy. "Why did you come here, Ophelia?" Percy growled. _"Ophelia? I don't remember ever hearing her name before.."_ I thought. **"How right you are, Daughter of Athena. Only my pet here would know me."** She laughed. "Who's your pet?" Jason called out, sparking with electricity. Ophelia smiled. **"Why, that's Mr. Jackson here! I'm offended, he never told you about me!?"** Ophelia said, placing a hand over her heart. "Percy?" I called, "What's she talking about?" I asked slowly. **"Ever wonder where your hero went those 3 months?"** Ophelia smirked, **"He was a fighter, Jackson. Wouldn't talk."** She said, smirking. "Wouldn't...Talk?" Piper said slowly. **"Yes. It could've been a painless process, but** **He made things difficult."** Ophelia sighed, a purple flame dancing across her palm. "What do you mean?" Frank called out, notching an arrow. **"All I wanted was some simple information, And you of course, but he refused."** Ophelia said, motioning to us. We all turned to look at Percy, who was grimacing. "They don't need to get involved, Ophelia." Percy said, tightening his grip on Riptide. **"Oh but they do! I warned you what would happen if you broke the rules. And you're here, so that means you broke all of them."** She said, frowning. "Percy, seriously. Tell us what's going on!" I yelled, frustrated. I I moved closer to the border, forming a close circle around Percy along with the others. "Whatever it is you want, you can't have!" Jason called out firmly. Ophelia's face lit up. **"Oh! I forgot to tell you! I've created a new mixture! Gorgon's blood infused with Greek Fire! Two times more deadly, and ten times more painful!"** She smiled, staring down at Percy, who was extremely pale, making his sea-green eyes seem more vibrant. "Y-You what?" Percy choked out, backing away. I looked worriedly at Percy, his reaction was scaring me. **"I've had enough of this nonsense. Now, if you please, I need to take Mr. Jackson here and finish what we started."** Ophelia sighed. "What did you start?" Hazel called out. **"Are you really that stupid?"** Ophelia said, creating a chair to sit on. **"Did you really think that your Hero would leave for 3 months** ** _willingly?_** **No. I had to take matters into my own hands. Sadly, he managed to escape before I could get the needed information."** Ophelia said, fiddling around with the hem of her dress. I felt myself begin to connect the dots. "Y-You-!" I couldn't finish. I hoped I was wrong. I looked at Percy, who was starting to breathe shakily. "Please." Percy whispered, and I knew she was talking in his head. "I still don't get it." Hazel said slowly. Ophelia sighed. **"Torture. I'm talking about torture."** She laughed. I felt tears well up in my eyes. Hazel dropped her weapon, and Leo stumbled. Percy looked at the ground. **"It was SO much fun!"** Ophelia giggled. **"After you set the basic rules, there was a lot less screaming."** She said, laughing. "P-Percy?" I whispered. _"Oh, gods! She-she tortured him!"_ I thought. Ophelia waved her hand, and a screen popped up in the air. "Don't." Percy said, glaring at Ophelia. She smiled. **"This is a lovely movie made by Ophelia productions! It's called: Play time with Ophelia!"** The Goddess said, smirking. "Don't! They don't need to see..." Percy trailed off at the end. "Are these your memories?" I asked. "Yeah."Percy said, straightening, like he was bracing himself for what was to come. Ophelia turned it on. I dropped my weapon. Frank threw up in a nearby bush. Hazel passed out. Jason went into shock, Piper started crying, Leo was totally still, and Nico was paler than usual. Percy kept his gaze trained on the ground. I couldn't stop the tears that slid down my cheeks. "S-Shut it off." I said, looking away. Ophelia laughed and kept the movie running. "SHUT IT OFF!" Percy yelled, and the movie disappeared. I stood frozen in place, the gruesome scenes replaying in my mind. "Why did you do that?" Percy whispered. I roughly brushed the tears off my face and snatched my weapon off the ground. A deep, burning hatred for this-this _witch_ surfaced. Jason snapped out of it and lightly shocked Hazel, which shocked her back to reality. Frank quickly recomposed himself, and Leo comforted Piper. "P-Percy!" Piper choked out, her body racking with sobs. "I didn't want to tell you. Now you're dragged into this mess." Percy said, hair covering his eyes. "H-How did you _live?_ " Hazel whispered. I knew for a fact that I wouldn't have survived if I went through that. **"Good Times, good times."** Ophelia said, wiping away a fake tear. I felt myself start to tremble with rage. This-This MONSTER took my Seaweed Brain away from me. "Ophelia." Percy whispered. Ophelia looked at him for a moment before laughing. **"You're so funny! I-I can't believe you actually thought you could get away from me!"** Ophelia gasped for breath, and a dagger appeared in her hand, coated with a green substance. **"I will keep my promise, pet, and you WILL regret it."** She said, a small smile gracing her face. Time seemed to go in slow motion. When I finally realized what was happening, it was to late. Ophelia's hand blurred, and I heard a gasp of pain. My head whipped around, and I let out a shriek. The dagger was buried hilt deep in Percy's stomach. "HOLY HERA!" Leo yelled, and Piper paled. "Percy! Oh my gods!" Jason stuttered, running towards him. Percy gave a weak smile and gently waved him away. "D-Don't worry about it. I'm used to these things." Percy said, paling. Hazel unfroze and ran forward. "Percy." Hazel whispered, as if she knew something we didn't. Percy started to gasp, and his breathing shallowed. A stream of blood trailed from the corner of his mouth, and he fell to his knees. "Percy!" I yelled as I ran towards him. **"How do you like my newest concoction?"** Ophelia smirked, **"I call it PAIN, PAIN, AND MORE PAIN!"** She laughed wildly, watching as Percy held in a scream. Their was a squeak, and I turned to find Piper suspended in the air by glowing purple ropes. It dawned on me, that I, too, was suspended in the air. _"Great job, Annabeth."_ I thought to myself _, "You've got yourself into a sticky situation."_ I heard a grunt, and looked down to see Percy force himself to his feet, his eyes glazed in pain, his hands wrapped tightly around the dagger protruding out of his stomach. My eyes widened. "PERCY!" I yelled. He closed his eyes and yanked the dagger out, a small scream escaping his sealed lips. The wound's edges were coated in green flames, and blood poured out from the gaping hole. "T-That's Greek Fire.." I heard Piper whimper. Percy took a ragged breath before concentrating. A dark green substance drained from the hole, and I realized that it was Gorgon Blood. The poison formed into a ball in front of him, and it fell to the ground, killing the grass wherever it landed. The hole closed enough that only a small trickle of blood flowed from the wound, and the green flames died away. Ophelia frowned. **"Aww. Pet, why did you have to ruin the fun? We both know that would've killed you in a couple more minutes time. Why did you have to save yourself?"** Ophelia whined. Percy gave a weak grin. "I'm not done fighting yet." He answered, wiping the blood off his face. He picked up Riptide and glanced around, trying to formulate a plan. He mumbled something incoherent, and his face grew slightly darker. Ophelia stepped off the chair and paused right outside the barrier. "Percy." I mumbled. He was going to do something stupid. I knew it. That little- "Gods, no." Percy whispered, his voice carrying over the silent camp. His eyes grew the darkest green that I've ever seen, and he seemed slightly more ominous. Ophelia's face split into a grin. Percy winced and held his head. "P-Percy?" Hazel called, her face etched with worry. "What's wrong?" Percy gave no response, and swayed on his feet. I glared at Ophelia. 'WHAT DID YOU-" I yelled before she cut me off. **"Why, dear, didn't you know that I'm the Goddess of the mind?"** Ophelia started. **"I can control someone with the flick of my wrist. I make nightmares come to life, make visions of a person's worst fear, bring out the worst in someone. I BREAK PEOPLE. And Jackson will be no different. I'm honestly surprised that he's lasted this long. I mean, sure, he's started to crack, but being killed by your friends countless times will do that to a person."** She finished, falling silent. _"Let me guess, you're not on a Revenge-On-Jackson type thing, right?"_ Percy's words echoed In my head. The night that he'd returned. He'd seemed afraid, as if we'd impale him the first chance we'd get. I understood it now. No one spoke, and when I opened my mouth to break the silence, I found that I couldn't make a sound. Percy opened his eyes, one was his normal Sea-Green, the other was a murky green. **"Still fighting, huh?"** Ophelia sighed, and waved her hand. Percy stumbled forwards, both eyes back to normal. **"Its to bad that I couldn't change you fully. I would've LOVED to see your opposite personality."** Ophelia grinned. I paled. In Tartarus, Percy had controlled poison, and he had wavered. I shuddered. If Percy's opposite personality came out to play, we'd all be dead. **"I have an offer to make."** Ophelia said. **"If you come back with me, Jackson, I'll leave your friends alone. If not,"** She shrugged, **"They'll be saying hello to Hades real soon."** A dagger appeared on my neck, as if to emphasize the point. Percy grimaced, and I knew what he was going to say. I started to shake my head no, but the dagger pressed harder, drawing some blood. The others started to thrash around, shaking their heads. "NO!" They seemed to scream, "DON'T DO IT PERCY!" Percy looked at the ground. "Are you going to keep the promise?" He whispered. Tears made there way down my cheeks. I couldn't talk, couldn't move. Percy sighed and capped RipTide. He looked at me with a sad smile, and mouthed "I'm Sorry." He walked over to Ophelia, and didn't even flinch when the dagger came through his stomach. He winced, and held in a scream. Ophelia laughed and let us down. Percy's blood ran thick on the ground, pooling in a puddle at his feet. "Goodbye." Percy choked as chains appeared around his wrists. "PERCY!" I screamed, running at him. In a blink, they were gone. I collapsed, sobbing. Just when I had gotten him back, He was ripped out of my grasp. I could hear the Fates laughing at our luck. There was a Flash of light, and the campers poured out of their cabins, surrounding the spot of ground that was stained red with blood. With Perseus Jackson's blood.

 **(2227 words)**


	6. Hold On For Me

Jason's POV

Percy. Percy was gone, for the third time. And all I did was thrash around. I should've tried harder, done SOMETHING to try and prevent this. I ran a hand through my hair, waiting for the Senior Counselor meeting to begin. The images of Percy being stabbed played on loop in my head. The blood dropping to the ground, the slightest bit of fear visible in his eyes. He had tried to stay strong, but he was afraid. I don't blame him. If a psychopathic Goddess kidnapped me, I would be freaking out. Annabeth was collapsed in a chair, silent. Her eyes were red and puffy. She blamed herself for Percy's situation. It wasn't her fault. It was mine. I shouldn't have frozen, I should've realized what would happen. But I didn't. I shook my head to clear it of any lingering distractions as Chiron clopped in. His face was grave. He cleared his throat to address the confused counselors. "I'm sure you are all aware that we were put under a heavy influence of magic." A brief look of sadness flitted across his face. "And some unfortunate events took place while we were...unavailable. What I am about to tell you, you MUST not tell the other campers." He said. We all nodded. "A daughter of Gaea made her presence known today." He started, "And took Percy Jackson." There was a moment of silence before the room exploded into chatter. I gritted my teeth. Chiron waved his hand, and the room quieted down. "We believe he was taken to try and get some information for the Goddess." He paused, "This event was not out of his free will." There was a pause before Clarisse stood up. "So what're we gonna do?" She asked. Chiron sighed and began. "There will be a quest to retrieve him. I have a feeling that this may be part of a prophecy." That sparked Annabeth's interest. "What!? ANOTHER prophecy?" She said, groaning. Chiron nodded. Seven people will embark on a quest to safely bring Perseus home." He finished. I nodded. "When do we leave?" I asked, standing up. Chiron turned and replied, "At dawn. This situation CANNOT progress, or we may have another war on our hands." Chiron said gravely. Everyone nodded. No one wanted another war, not after all of the losses from the last. People began to file out of the room, when a voice yelled "WAIT!" My head whipped around, and I saw Rachel Dare standing in the doorway. "T-there's a prophecy coming!" She gasped, and her eyes turned green. She spoke in a raspy voice, and green mist poured out of her mouth.

 _"Seven half-bloods will seek the lost,_  
 _The faces and hosts laced with gloss,_  
 _The effect will shatter the butterfly's wing,_  
 _And the sirens of death will go on and sing._  
 _Old wounds will open, new ones will form,_  
 _this is the calm before the storm."_

There was a brief silence before she collapsed onto the floor. Several Apollo campers picked her up and took her to the infirmary. Clarisse was the first to speak. "Great." She growled, "More riddles." Annabeth stood up and sighed, a determined look on her face. "We have a lead. The rest will come to light as we go on." She said, walking to the door, and pausing in its frame. "I'm going to pack." And then she was gone. I walked out the door, the others trailing behind. We all agreed to meet in the woods after dinner to discuss what we knew. What was certain was that something big was coming.

-  
Annabeth's POV

I can't believe that Percy is the main concern of yet _another_ great prophecy. I sighed. _"Why are you so loyal, Seaweed brain?"_ I muttered with a small smile. I shoved the last of my clothing into the small duffle-bag with an unneeded amount of force. "This is stupid. Every Time that things seem to get better, they're suddenly turned upside down and flipped around. Can't the fates be on our side for once in our usually-short-lived Demigod lives?" I groaned. Without Percy, my whole train of thought was thrown off the rails. I shook my head and tossed my bag over my shoulder. "Hold on for me, Seaweed Brain. Please hold on."

-  
Percy's POV

I groaned as I forced my eyes open a bit, harsh golden light piercing the back of my eyes through the cracks. "Aahhh." I muttered. I laid there for a moment before the memories came flooding back to me like a tidal wave. I bolted up-right and gasped as a sharp pain filled my side. I slowly looked down to see bloody bandages wrapped carelessly around my torso, probably a courtesy of Ophelia. _"Why me? I mean, why do I always miss the Pancake buffet days at camp?"_ I thought to myself. I was _really_ craving a blue pancake with blue syrup right about now. I attempted to stand up and walk around, but was stopped by the familiar tug of chains around my wrists and ankles. I sighed. This was seriously getting old. I looked around some more before finally noticing the piece of paper lying right where I first woke up. "Wow, Percy. Great observational skills." I muttered: note the sarcasm. I opened it up and slowly read the words scratched into the corse paper.

 _Pet,_

 _You should wake up anytime between 3-15 days after I took you from your precious 'camp.' I hope you do, anyway. It would be a shame if you died. Not. Anyway, I will be collecting you approximately 2 hours and 22 and-a-half minutes after you wake up. Brace yourself, I've gotten more...creative._

 _Toodles for now,_

 _Ophelia_

I shook my head disbelievingly. "No way. 3 to 15 _days_?" I whispered, the paper wrinkling under the pressure as I clenched my hands into fists. _"How long have I been here?"_ I wondered. I honestly had no clue how long I've been out. I sighed and slumped down to the ground. I was going to enjoy my few moments free of pain when I had them. I closed my eyes. "Hold on, Wise Girl. Hold on."

 **(1079 words)**


End file.
